My real name is Eleanor Coombe. I write as Dan Jerris for only the Dragon Blood Pirates series. I enjoy being Dan as I enter a world where I am a foolhardy young man who sails the seas with a parrot called Blunderbus and have all sorts of funny adventures. So, when I write, I become Dan and see the world through my new found character. Adventure is part of my life. I love surfing and sailing and remote beaches and bush walking. I live on a farm so I have lots of pets. The Dragon Blood Pirates were a delight to write. I used a real character in my terrible shark, Greeny Jack. Years ago, down in Coffin Bay in South Australia there was a huge white pointer that terrorised people that saw him. He was called Greeny Jack. The shark's name stayed with me, so I incorporated him into my pirate stories.